Bisabolol is a natural monocyclic sesquiterpene alcohol. It is commonly found in nature as the principle extract of chamomile. It is used in the cosmetics industry specifically for its skin healing properties, as well as its anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial benefits.
Szalontai, M; Verzár-Petri, G.; Flórián, E.; Gimpel, F., Pharmaz. Ztg, 120, 982 (1975) and Szalontai, M., Verzár-Petri, G.; Flórián, E.; Gimpel, F., Dtsch. Apoth. Ztg. 115, 912 (1975) disclose the bactericidal and fungicidal action of biologically active substances of chamomile including α-bisabolol.
Issac O., Dtsch. Apoth. Ztg 120, 567-570 (1980) discloses that bisabolol has antimicrobial and antimycotic effects.
Luppold O., Pharmazie in unserer Zeit, 13,(1984), 3, p 65-70 discloses that chamomile is an effective remedy in traditional medicine. This document discloses that bisabolol, especially (−)-α-bisabolol is important for the pharmacological action of chamomile oil and have antiphlogistic, spamolytic and antibacterial activity.
Sesquiterpenoids including bisabolol have also been found to increase bacterial permeability to antimicrobial agents. Brehm-Stecher, B. F., Johnson, E. A., Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 47(10), (2003), p 3357-3360 and WO99/66796 each disclose that the sesquiterpenoids nerolidol, farnesol, bisabolol and apritone were found to enhance non-specifically the permeability of cultured bacterial cells to certain exogenous chemical compounds including antimicrobial agents.
A biofilm is a structured group of microorganisms encapsulated within a self-developed polymeric extracellular matrix. Biofilms are typically adhered to a living or inert surface. In the human or animal body biofilms can form on any internal or external surface. Biofilms have been found to be involved in a wide variety of microbial infections in the body and, therefore, cause a number of conditions including urinary tract infections, middle-ear infections, formation of dental plaque and gingivitis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,602 discloses an antiplaque oral composition containing a low concentration of a sesquiterpene alcohol flavour compound to inhibit the formation of dental plaque in the presence of an additive selected from the group consisting of benzoic acid, a preservative, and a polycarboxylate and mixtures thereof, in an oral vehicle. The sesquiterpene alcohol flavour compound is not disclosed as an antimicrobial agent by itself, but must be used in combination with the additives disclosed therein.
JP 58213706 discloses a composition for the oral cavity capable of suppressing and inhibiting the formation of bacterial plaque, preventing dental caries and periodontosis, obtained by blending a composition for an oral cavity with an active ingredient selected from amygdalin, indigo, sanshool, bisabolol and rutin.
JP 2005298357 discloses a composition for the oral cavity containing a biosurfactant selected from a glycolipid produced by the microorganism, a polypeptide produced thereby and a derivative thereof and further contains one, two or more kinds of essential oil components selected from thymol, anethole, eugenol, bisabolol, farnesol and nerolidol.
Microorganisms present in a biofilm have significantly different properties from free-floating microorganisms of the same species. This is because the polymeric extracellular matrix acts to protect the microorganisms from the surrounding environment allows the microorganisms to cooperate and interact in various ways which are not exhibited by free-floating microorganisms. These complex communities of microorganisms present a unique challenge in that they are often resistant to classical means of antimicrobial control. Bacteria living in a biofilm exhibit increased resistance to antibiotics because the dense extracellular matrix and the outer layer of cells protect the interior of the biofilm from the effects of the antibiotics. Therefore, known antimicrobial agents will not have the same effect on bacteria present in a biofilm.
There is a need in the art to provide an improved oral composition capable of inhibiting biofilm formation and degrading biofilms.